Straddle fork vehicle

ABSTRACT

A straddle fork vehicle includes a generally rectangular frame structure with front and rear forklift assemblies positioned between a set of tread belts. The straddle fork vehicle is designed such that the frame may accommodate, or straddle, agricultural harvesting pallets between the set of treads in a passthrough through area beneath the frame as the vehicle progresses down a field row. Engine configuration and improved braking systems facilitate a safer construction and tighter turning radius.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application relates to and claims priority from U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 63/340,694 entitled “AG-STRADDLE FORKVEHICLE” filed May 11, 2022 and is incorporated herein by referenceincluding its specification.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the disclosure relate generally to agricultural vehicles.More particularly embodiments of the present disclosure relate toagricultural forklift vehicles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an improved straddle fork vehicleprimarily for use in agricultural fields or similar settings where onehas need to gather and carry multiple collection bins laid out in seriesin the middle of a row. The improved straddle fork vehicle can gatherand carry more bins, more efficiently, while causing less unintentionaldamage to the fields. The improved straddle fork vehicle is more easilycontrolled in its movement and is also more environmentally “friendly”.

As described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,535 for a straddle fork vehicle, theprior art already contains knowledge of straddle fork vehicles ofcertain designs. Such prior art vehicles have utility in agriculturalfields, but also have their limitations.

Conventional field harvesting methods such as those used in citrusgroves or similar crops have evolved from the use of field boxes to theuse of pallet bins or similar containers disposed along the rows ofgroves or orchards. Such pallet bins designed for bulk handling of cropsare approximately four feet by four feet by four feet deep and can betransported about by conventional forklifts in the manner of usualpallets, typically containing the equivalent of 17 to 18 field boxes.The harvested crops are placed into the pallet bins either manually orthrough automated means. For bulk handling, those pallet bins must becollected by fork vehicles in the most efficient manner possible with aslittle disturbance to the grove, its rows, or the plants.

The basic frame structure of the prior art fork vehicle includes frontand rear wheels mounted to the lower front and rear corner portions ofthe frame structure—spaced relative to the frame structure and to eachother to provide a vertical clearance between the underside of the framestructure and the ground of greater height than the height of a palletbin, particularly between the wheels such that the pallet bins are“straddled” by the fork vehicle.

With the foregoing arrangement, the fork vehicle can ride over a palletbin, the wheels passing on either side of the bin in a straddlingconfiguration. The pallet bins may then be selectively collected fromalong the rows, and the crop transferred to a central warehouse forprocessing and storing.

Such prior art fork vehicles suffer from many disadvantages. Because ofits configuration, the prior art vehicles are inefficient—able to onlycarry a limited number of pallet bins—thus requiring more trips togather pallet bins from a single row, which typically contain dozens ofbins depending upon the length of the row. Because of the configurationof the vehicle and the rows, the vehicle must completely traverse anyrow before turning around, thus any limit on the number of bins that canbe carried increases the inefficiency.

The configuration of wheels on the prior art vehicles creates pressurepoints in the rows of the fields, often compacting the ground orcreating ruts, especially when the ground is wet or muddy. Furthermore,the configuration and drive train of the prior art vehicles means alarge turning radius, often requiring multiple-point turns to turn avehicle around or simply turn down an adjacent row. The brake systems ofsuch prior art vehicles have proven unreliable over the years, resultingin failures where vehicles are unrestrained or hazardous brake fluid isreleased to the environment. The engines of such prior art vehicles arealso inefficient producing copious amounts of pollution and green housegases.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved straddle forklift vehicle.The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other relatedadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a straddle fork vehicle forharvesting agricultural pallets. It may have a vehicle frame structurewith a first end and a second end opposite the first end. An operatorcabin is at the second end. The vehicle may have an eco-engine near andoperationally connected to the operator cabin. Also, the eco-engine isfunctionally coupled to a nearby hydraulic cooling fan assembly. Thevehicle may optionally have a soil ripper.

The vehicle may have a first fork assembly mounted on the first end anda second fork assembly mounted on the second end. Each fork assembly ismovable vertically relative to the vehicle frame structure. The vehiclemay optionally have a soil ripper assembly attached to either the firstfork assembly or the second fork assembly. A pair of adjustment railsmay be longitudinally disposed at the first end extending toward thesecond end.

A track drive system comprised of a pair of tread belts longitudinallyassociates with and is externally attached to opposite sides of thevehicle frame structure. A hydraulic brake system is functionallycoupled to the pair of tread belts and is operationally connected to theoperator cabin. The pair of tread belts may comprise a plurality ofsteel treads or a plurality of rubber treads. The hydraulic brake systemis configured to use charge pressure to release the brake system. Thetrack drive system is operationally connected to the engine by ahydrostatic transmission. The pair of tread belts are each independentlycontrollable by the hydrostatic transmission.

A straddle area defines a vertical clearance and a horizontal clearancebeneath the vehicle frame structure that spans from the first end to thesecond end and between the pair of treads. The straddle area thestraddle area may be configured to a height no less than four feet andwidth no less than four feet so as to accommodate the agriculturalpallets as a passthrough.

The vehicle may further comprise a pair of adjustment railslongitudinally disposed at the first end extending toward the secondend. The first fork assembly is mounted on the pair of adjustment rails.The first fork assembly is slidable along the pair of adjustment railsrelative to the first end of the vehicle frame structure as needed tobalance the straddle fork vehicle.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following more detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way ofexample, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome appreciated, as the same becomes better understood with referenceto the specification, claims and drawings herein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an unweightedleg orthotic system of the present invention;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the Straddlefork vehicle of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the Straddle forkvehicle of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the Straddle forkvehicle of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the Straddle forkvehicle of the present invention straddling a pallet box;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the Straddle forkvehicle of the present invention straddling both front and rear palletboxes;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the Straddle forkvehicle of the present invention carrying four pallet boxes on the frontforks; and

FIG. 7 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the straddle forkvehicle of the present invention carrying four pallet boxes on both thefront and rear forks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of theinvention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”another element, it can be directly on the other element or interveningelements may be present there between. As used herein, the term “and/or”includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associatedlisted items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third etc.may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions,layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layersand/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms areonly used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer orsection from another element, component, region, layer or section.

As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” “includes” and/or “including,” and “have” and/or“having,” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Furthermore, relative terms, such as “lower” or “bottom,” and “upper” or“top,” “inner” or “outer,” and “medial” or “lateral” may be used hereinto describe one element's relationship to other elements as illustratedin the Figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intendedto encompass different orientations of the device in addition to theorientation depicted in the Figures.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein have the same meaning ascommonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which thisinvention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such asthose defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted ashaving a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context ofthe relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpretedin an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so definedherein.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described herein withreference to idealized embodiments of the present invention. As such,variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, forexample, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to beexpected. Thus, embodiments of the present invention should not beconstrued as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustratedherein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example,from manufacturing.

In the following detailed description, the straddle fork vehicle of thepresent disclosure generally referred to by reference character 21 isshown in FIGS. 1-7 .

As shown in FIG. 1 the present invention is directed to an improvedstraddle fork vehicle 21 for picking up, transporting, and depositingpallet bins or boxes designed to hold produce during harvestingoperations in orchards and similar crop fields. The straddle forkvehicle 21 of the type described includes a frame structure 23 ofgenerally rectangular shape having a 22 and a second end 24. An openregion occupies about two-thirds of the length of the straddle forkvehicle 21 at the first end 22, with a seat 25 generally disposed in anoperator cabin or frame structure at the second end 24 that occupies theremaining one-third of the vehicle 21. When observed in top or planview, the frame structure 23 includes a first frame rail 41 and a secondframe rail 43 horizontally and longitudinally disposed in parallel andextending from the first end 22 toward the second end 24 of the framestructure 23. A plurality of securing members 203 about corners of theframe structure 23 may secure objects loaded upon the straddle forkvehicle.

As shown in FIG. 1 the first rail 41 and second frame rail 43 are spacedapart so as to define the open region, specifically defining a straddlearea 45 within the frame structure 23 having a width 47 sufficient toaccommodate a pallet bin 51. The straddle area 45 of the frame structure23 also defines a vertical clearance allowing the vehicle 21 to passover and accommodate field pallets 51 in agricultural fields. A firstfork assembly 61 is mounted on the first end 22 of the frame structure23, preferably on the first frame rail 41 and second frame rail 43within the straddle area 45. The first fork assembly 61 has a set offork prongs 65 extending forwardly of the vehicle 21 and is movablevertically up and down to pass between the first frame rail 41 and thesecond frame rail 43. The first forklift assembly 61 is also movablehorizontally forward and backward along the first frame rail 41 andsecond frame rail 43. A second fork assembly 63 is mounted on the secondend 24 of the vehicle 21 behind the operator cabin 27. The second forkassembly 63 has a set of fork prongs 65 extending rearwardly of thevehicle 21 and also movable vertically up and down.

The straddle fork vehicle 21 is configured for use with a pallet bin 51as shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7 . The straddle fork vehicle 21 andstraddle area 45 may be constructed to any desired dimension tocorrespond with various sized agricultural field rows. In preferredembodiments the pallet bins 51 are about 4 ft by 4 ft by 4 ft indimension. These dimensions correspond to preferred straddle areadimensions of 4 ft by 4 ft.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the straddle fork vehicle 21 has a track drivesystem 91 mounted between a lower front frame structure corner 81 and alower rear frame structure corner 83 of the frame structure 23 and theoperator cabin 25. The track drive system 91 has a first tread belt 93and second tread belt 95 disposed outside and on opposite sides of theframe structure 23, extending the length of the straddle fork vehicle21. The track drive system 91 is entirely external to the straddle area45 and frame structure 23. A set of steel treads 99 preferably runsalong both the first tread belt 93 and second tread belt 95. The firsttread belt 93 and second tread belt 95 may preferably include a rubbershoe set 97 bonded to the set of steel treads 99 so as to protect thetreads from hard surfaces or hard surfaces such as asphalt fromdestruction by the bare steel.

Alternatively, the first tread belt 93 and second tread belt 95 can bereplaced entirely with rubber treads 99 that function in a similarmanner as the steel treads so as to provide greater protection againstsurfaces on which the vehicle 21 may drive, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .Unlike prior art tire drive systems, the track drive system 91 providesa distributed weight footprint, creating fewer soil damaging pressurepoints on the improved stability with improved traction to the operator,particularly on slopes or grades. The distributed weight footprintallows the vehicle 21 to carry a greater number of bins 51 with lesscompaction than prior art tire drive systems. The track drive system 91also allows for counter-rotation steering, providing a smaller turningradius and more efficient operation of the fork straddle fork vehicle21.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4 the track drive system 91, frame structure 23, andoperator cabin 25 are configured to provide a vertical clearance 121between the ground and the underside of the frame structure 23 andoperator cabin 25. This is accomplished, in part, by the first treadbelt 93 and second tread belt 95 being outside of the frame structure23, and positioning the frame structure 23 and operator cabin 25 abovethe first tread belt 93 and second tread belt 95, with the verticalclearance 121 and straddle area 45 creating space under the straddlefork vehicle 21 passthrough for the bins 51.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6 the straddle area 45 preferably has aheight slightly greater than the height of a pallet bin 51 such that thestraddle fork vehicle 21 can ride over a pallet bin 51 with the firsttread belt 93 and second tread belt 95 passing on either side of the bin51 in a straddling configuration.

A pallet bin 51 may be straddled by the straddle fork vehicle 21 andlifted up by either the first fork assembly 61 or the second forkassembly 63 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7 . Because of the straddle area 45,it is possible for the straddle fork vehicle 21 to pick-up pallet bins51 from an orchard row out of order. For example, if some pallet binsfurther down a row are filled to capacity, thus ready to be harvestedbefore others, the straddle fork vehicle 21 may efficiently pass overany intervening pallets not ready to be picked up en route to palletsready for harvesting.

Efficient and therefore speedy pallet harvesting is crucial to farmingprofitability. Depending upon weather and temperature, it may beadvantageous to remove collected crops from sunlight, heat, humidity, orother detrimental environmental conditions, as soon as possible. Beingable to lift and remove pallet bins out of order makes theseconsiderations possible.

In addition, because of the straddle area 45, as well as theconfiguration of the first fork assembly 61 and second fork assembly 63,it is possible for the inventive straddle fork vehicle 21 to carrymultiple pallet bins on both the first fork assembly 61 and second forkassembly 63 at the same time. Preferably, each fork assembly can carryat least four pallet bins, if not more, depending on their size andconfiguration and of each pallet bin. When either the first forkassembly 61 and second fork assembly 63 is carrying one or more palletbins 51, the distributed contact surface area helps the straddle forkvehicle 21 maintain stability and balance as the center of gravityshifts. Depending on the number of pallet bins 51 on either assembly,the first fork assembly 61 may be moved horizontally forward or backwardto shift the center of gravity of the straddle fork vehicle 21 to a morestable position. Such horizontal movement of the first forklift assembly61, in particular, minimizes the probability that counterweights may beneeded to maintain straddle fork vehicle 21 stability while carryingpallet bins 51.

The straddle fork vehicle 21 preferably includes a low-emission oreco-engine 151 mounted adjacent to the operator cabin 25 as shown inFIG. 3 . A preferred embodiment of the low-emission engine 151 is a Tier4 diesel engine or similar low-emission engine. As with other straddlefork vehicle 21 components, the low-emission engine 151 is preferablymounted above the first tread belt 93 and second tread belt 95 so as notto obstruct the straddle area 45. The straddle fork vehicle 21preferably uses a hydrostatic transmission to connect the low-emissionengine 151 to the track drive system 91.

The straddle fork vehicle 21 preferably uses has a hydraulic powered fanassembly 191 to cool the engine 151 rather than a drive belt powered fanas is typically used. This hydraulic configuration allows for the fanassembly 191 to be positioned anywhere on the frame 23 rather thanin-line with the engine block 151 as is required in belt driven systems.This modification permits greater flexibility to juxtapose the fan 191with the low-emission engine 151, thus allowing for a shorter enginecompartment.

The low-emission engine 151 is coupled to the fan assembly 191 to reducethe physical length of the engine as shown in FIG. 3 . This reduction inengine dimension allows for a shorter overall straddle fork vehicle 21.The shorter length frame allows for greater maneuverability in thefield.

In addition, the low-emission engine 151 preferably has a braking system171 using hydraulic charge pressure to release the brakes for locomotionas shown in FIG. 7 . In this way, if the low-emission engine 151 stopsfunctioning or the braking system 171 otherwise loses charge pressure,the brakes fail-to-set. In addition, in an emergency, the brake system171 may be set to dump pressure so the brakes can be set. This is anadvantage over prior art vehicles where a failure of the braking system171 may result in the straddle fork vehicle 21 being unrestrained or aloss of brake fluid into the environment.

Repetitive trips by the straddle fork vehicle 21, or any vehicle, down agiven orchard row can be detrimental to ground soil integrity. Theresultant soil compacting may result in undesirable water run-off amongother side effects. The inventive straddle fork vehicle 21 mayoptionally include a ripper 201 or similar tool to till or disturb anyorchard row soil that has been compacted. The ripper 201 may beconfigured to be in lieu of or attached to the second fork assembly 63.Alternatively, the ripper 201 may be provided as a drop-down tool to beused when the second fork assembly 63 is raised and the inventivestraddle fork vehicle 21 is leaving the field.

Although multiple embodiments have been described in detail for purposesof illustration, various modifications may be made without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the inventionis not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A straddle fork vehicle for use withagricultural pallets, comprising: a vehicle frame structure having afirst end and a second end opposite to the first end; an operator cabindisposed at the second end of the vehicle frame structure; an eco-engineproximate to and operationally connected to the operator cabin, whereinsaid eco-engine is functionally coupled to a hydraulic cooling fanassembly; a first fork assembly mounted on the first end and a secondfork assembly mounted on the second end, wherein each of the first forkassembly and second fork assembly are movable vertically relative to thevehicle frame structure; a track drive system comprising a pair of treadbelts longitudinally associated with and externally attached to oppositesides of said vehicle frame structure; a hydraulic brake systemfunctionally coupled to said pair of tread belts and operationallyconnected to the operator cabin; and a straddle area defining a verticalclearance and a horizontal clearance beneath the vehicle frame structurespanning from the first end to the second end and between the pair oftread belts, wherein the straddle area is configured to accommodate theagricultural pallets as a passthrough.
 2. The straddle fork vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein the straddle area is configured to a height no lessthan four feet and width no less than four feet.
 3. The straddle forkvehicle of claim 1, wherein said pair of tread belts each comprise aplurality steel treads or a plurality of rubber treads.
 4. The straddlefork vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a pair of adjustment railslongitudinally disposed at the first end extending toward the secondend, wherein the first fork assembly is mounted on the pair ofadjustment rails.
 5. The straddle fork vehicle of claim 4, wherein saidfirst fork assembly is slidable along the pair of adjustment railsrelative to the first end of the vehicle frame structure as needed tobalance the straddle fork vehicle.
 6. The straddle fork vehicle of claim1, further comprising a ripper assembly selectively attachable to eitherthe first fork assembly or the second fork assembly.
 7. The straddlefork vehicle of claim 1, wherein the hydraulic brake system isconfigured to use charge pressure to release the brake system.
 8. Thestraddle fork vehicle of claim 1, wherein the track drive system isoperationally connected to the engine by a hydrostatic transmission. 9.The straddle fork vehicle of claim 8, wherein the pair of tread beltsare each independently controllable by the hydrostatic transmission. 10.A straddle fork vehicle for use with agricultural pallets, comprising: avehicle frame structure having a first end and a second end opposite tothe first end, and a pair of adjustment rails longitudinally disposed atthe first end extending toward the second end; an operator cabindisposed at the second end of the vehicle frame structure; an eco-engineproximate to and operationally connected to the operator cabin, whereinsaid eco-engine is functionally coupled to a hydraulic cooling fanassembly; a first fork assembly mounted on the pair of adjustment railsand a second fork assembly mounted on the second end, wherein each ofthe first fork assembly and second fork assembly are movable verticallyrelative to the vehicle frame structure; a track drive system comprisinga pair of tread belts longitudinally associated with and externallyattached to opposite sides of said vehicle frame structure, wherein thetrack drive system is operationally connected to the engine by ahydrostatic transmission; a hydraulic brake system functionally coupledto said pair of tread belts and operationally connected to the operatorcabin; and a straddle area defining a vertical clearance and ahorizontal clearance beneath the vehicle frame structure spanning fromthe first end to the second end and between the pair of tread belts,wherein the straddle area is configured to accommodate the agriculturalpallets as a passthrough.
 11. The straddle fork vehicle of claim 10,wherein the straddle area is configured to a height no less than fourfeet and width no less than four feet.
 12. The straddle fork vehicle ofclaim 10, wherein said pair of tread belts each comprise a pluralitysteel treads or a plurality of rubber treads.
 13. The straddle forkvehicle of claim 10, wherein said first fork assembly is slidable alongthe pair of adjustment rails relative to the first end of the vehicleframe structure as needed to balance the straddle fork vehicle.
 14. Thestraddle fork vehicle of claim 10, further comprising a ripper assemblyselectively attachable to either the first fork assembly or the secondfork assembly.
 15. The straddle fork vehicle of claim 10, wherein thehydraulic brake system is configured to use charge pressure to releasethe brake system.
 16. The straddle fork vehicle of claim 10, wherein thepair of tread belts are each independently controllable by thehydrostatic transmission.
 17. A straddle fork vehicle for harvestingagricultural pallets, comprising: a vehicle frame structure having afirst end and a second end opposite to the first end, and a pair ofadjustment rails longitudinally disposed at the first end extendingtoward the second end; an operator cabin disposed at the second end ofthe vehicle frame structure; an eco-engine proximate to andoperationally connected to the operator cabin, wherein said eco-engineis functionally coupled to a hydraulic cooling fan assembly; a firstfork assembly mounted on the pair of adjustment rails and a second forkassembly mounted on the second end, wherein each of the first forkassembly and second fork assembly are movable vertically relative to thevehicle frame structure, wherein the first fork assembly is slidablealong the pair of adjustment rails relative to the first end of thevehicle frame structure as needed to balance the straddle fork vehicle;a track drive system comprising a pair of tread belts longitudinallyassociated with and externally attached to opposite sides of saidvehicle frame structure, wherein the track drive system is operationallyconnected to the engine by a hydrostatic transmission and the pair oftread belts are each independently controllable by the hydrostatictransmission; a hydraulic brake system functionally coupled to said pairof tread belts and operationally connected to the operator cabin; and astraddle area defining a vertical clearance and a horizontal clearancebeneath the vehicle frame structure spanning from the first end to thesecond end and between the pair of treads, wherein the straddle area isconfigured to accommodate the agricultural pallets as a passthrough. 18.The straddle fork vehicle of claim 17, wherein the straddle area isconfigured to a height no less than four feet and width no less thanfour feet.
 19. The straddle fork vehicle of claim 17, wherein said pairof tread belts each comprise a plurality steel treads or a plurality ofrubber treads.
 20. The straddle fork vehicle of claim 17, wherein thehydraulic brake system is configured to use charge pressure to releasethe brake system.